by jboullion | Jan 8, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today was joined by business leaders, labor, legislators and environmental organizations as he launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. New industry-recognized research shows the package will directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.
“Addressing climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s about creating green jobs,” Governor Doyle said.
“The Clean Energy Jobs Act offers new standards to help accelerate Wisconsin’s green economy. I am calling on the Legislature to update renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of our fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and set a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015.”
The Clean Energy Jobs Act, State Senate Bill 450 and State Assembly Bill 649, implements the recommendations of Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force to address climate change and grow the state’s green economy through several key measures:
• Enhanced renewable portfolio standards – A new 20 percent standard would be set for 2020 and a 25 percent standard would be set for 2025. The current 10 percent standard would be accelerated from 2015 to 2013. By advancing our current renewable portfolio standards, and setting new standards, we will ensure more of our energy dollars stay in the state, creating thousands of jobs for Wisconsin families in fields like construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
• Enhanced energy efficiency and conservation efforts – Graduated statewide electricity savings goals would be set, leading up to a 2 percent reduction by 2015 and annual reductions thereafter. The cheapest way to lower carbon emissions is through energy conservation. By setting achievable conservation goals, this bill will help reduce energy costs in businesses and homes across the state.
A comprehensive economic assessment of the Clean Energy Jobs Act found that the package would directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025. More than 1,800 jobs would be created in the first year alone. The assessment also found that between 800 and 1,800 construction jobs would be created each year from 2011-2025, and more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs would be created once the laws are fully implemented.
Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director said:
Wisconsin’s existing 10% Renewable Energy Standard has driven significant investment in rural, forestry and agriculture markets by encouraging the construction of large wind, biogas, biomass and solar projects. Increasing the Renewable Energy Standard to 25% in 2025 would continue to generate more of the lucrative payments to landowners and biofuel / biomass providers as well as create more jobs constructing and maintaining the additional projects are built to meet the new standards.
The bills also include three of the proposals backed by the Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign:
• Renewable Energy Buyback Rates, also called an Advanced Renewable Tariffs, would set utility payments for small renewable energy producers who want to “feed energy” into the electric grid, enabling farmers and rural businesses to help Wisconsin become more energy independent with biopower, wind and solar.
• The Biomass Crop Reserve Program would award contracts to farmers to plant native perennial plants, which the farmer can then sell for bioenergy production, helping to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of jumpstarting the homegrown fuels market.
• A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard would be a market-based approach to promoting the cleanest, low-carbon fuels for Wisconsin, and would put Wisconsin in a position to capture the rapidly-developing clean energy market by using Wisconsin’s abundant natural resources like switchgrass.
Statements of support for the legislation came from Customers First!, WPPI Energy, CREWE, Clean Wisconsin, ACRE, MEUW, Sierra Club, and others.
by jboullion | Jan 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by C&D Technologies:
PRNewswire-FirstCall — C&D Technologies, Inc. [headquartered in Blue Bell, PA], a leading producer and marketer of batteries, battery systems and integrated standby power systems, today announced that the company has been awarded a contract by the US Army for the development of large-format lithium-ion battery systems. The $19 million contract will span an estimated four year period from September 18, 2009, with the objective of developing large-format lithium-ion batteries that can meet the growing needs of the US Army for light-weight, high power density battery systems. The technologies developed under the program will also be utilized in meeting the needs of C&D’s commercial customers, with potential application to large-scale grid-energy storage, renewable energy applications and distributed power for telecommunications systems, in addition to broader application in other branches of the military. The result will be a sustainable, domestic US source for high performance, large-format lithium-ion batteries, with the potential for achieving economies of scale to ensure affordability in a range of military and commercial applications. These new advanced lithium-ion battery systems will be developed and produced in C&D’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin operations, which has been a focus for renewed investment for the company over the last two years. . . .
“This contract will allow C&D Technologies to establish a world class research and development facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including pilot production capability dedicated to large-format lithium-ion batteries, and will establish a domestic manufacturing base for C&D designed lithium battery systems” said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, President and CEO of C&D Technologies.
by jboullion | Jan 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
One of serveral posters from WWF. Click on picture to enlarge.
by jboullion | Jan 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From the workshop page on the site of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:
MREA is a national leader in providing high quality education and training programs for consumers, businesses, and renewable energy system installers. For more than 18 years we have offered workshops, seminars, and conferences that demonstrate that renewable energy is practical, reliable, and ready for mainstream use.
When you attend a MREA training you will:
•learn from experts with years of practical experience,
•receive curriculum that is based on nationally recognized standards,
•meet other people with similar interests and values, and
•have a great time.
MREA Workshop Offerings:
MREA offers workshops that cover a variety of topics in renewable energy.
Come learn from experts in the field about subjects including:
•Photovoltaics or PV (solar electric)
•Residential Wind systems
•Solar Domestic Hot Water/Solar Thermal Systems
•Site Assessor Training & Certification
•Installer Training
•Renewable Energy Business
•Alternative Construction
Don’t delay in registering. The classes fill up quickly.
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2009 | Uncategorized
Though written in 2007, an analysis by RENEW’s executive director Michael Vickerman may be even truer today an a few years ago, given the risk involved in “traditional” investments. The analysis shows that an investmnet in a solar hot water system generates a better rate of return than putting money in the bank:
I wrote a column which was highly critical of using payback analysis to figure out whether installing a solar hot water system on one’s house makes economic sense. In almost every example you can imagine, the payback period for today’s solar installations ranges between long and forever. For my system, which started operating in January 2006, payback will be achieved in a mere 19 years using today’s energy prices, though by the time 2025 rolls around, half of Florida might be under water and the rest of the country out of natural gas.
But there’s no reason to let payback length rule one’s ability to invest in sustainable energy for the home or business, especially if there are other approaches to valuing important economic decisions. One way to sidestep the gloomy verdicts of payback analysis is to do what most companies do when contemplating a long-term investment like solar energy — calculate the internal rate of return (IRR) on the invested capital. The definition of IRR is the annualized effective compounded return rate which can be earned on the invested capital, i.e. the yield on the investment.
By using this familiar capital budgeting method, I’m able to calculate an IRR of 6.1%for my solar water heater if natural gas prices rise a measly 3% per annum. That yield exceeds anything that a bank will offer you today. It will likely outperform the stock market this year, which is due for a substantial downward adjustment to reflect the slow-motion implosion of the housing market now underway. And, unless you live in a gold-rush community like Fort McMurray, Alberta, your house will do well just to hold onto its current valuation, let alone appreciate by six percent.
While all investments pose some degree of risk, the return on a solar energy system is about as safe and predictable as, well, the rising sun. Fortunately for the Earth and its varied inhabitants, the center of our solar system is situated well beyond the reach of humanity’s capacity to tamper with a good thing.
